Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop men's basketball defeated IUPUI 74-61 on day two of the Rock Hill Classic, its second win in two days.
WINTHROP (3-2, 0-0 Big South)
IUPUI (2-3, 0-0 Horizon)
- Kidtre Blocker (15 points, 5 rebounds)
- Jlynn Counter (13 points, 9 rebounds, assist, 2 steals)
- Bryce Monroe (11 points, assist, 2 steals)
FIRST HALF
- It was a slow start offensively for both teams as the Eagles first field goal came at the 14:44 mark on a fast break finish by Nick Johnson from Xavier McKelvy
- Despite no field goals the Eagles were holding a 4-2 lead before the Johnson layup
- After IUPUI cut it to a two point game, Noah Van Bibber came off the bench and buried a corner three
- Van Bibber hit another three from the wing for a 14-6 lead with 12:15 left in the half
- Leading 16-13, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run to push their lead to double-digits as the run ended with two made free throws by Alex Timmerman
- Back-to-back threes by Sin'Cere McMahon put the Eagles on top 30-16 and then the lead grew to as much as 15 as McMahon hit 1-of-2 free throws with 4:07 left
- Eagles held a 37-27 lead at the break as she shot 42 percent and held the Jaguars to 35 percent
- Winthrop was 11-of-15 from the foul line while IUPUI was 3-for-3
SECOND HALF
- K.J. Doucet opened the scoring in the second half with a basket at the rim, but a three from Bryce Monroe and a layup off a turnover by Vincent Brady II prompted a timeout by the Eagles, leading 39-32 with 17:22 left
- Out of the timeout the Eagles reeled off 10 straight points as Nick Johnson started the run with a tip-in
- Then Kasen Harrison stole the ball in the lane, led the break and dished to K.J. Doucet who finished with a layup
- Then back-to-back threes from Johnson and McMahon put the Eagles on top 49-32, the largest lead of the game to that point
- The Winthrop lead grew to 21 points with 10:53 to play as Kelton Talford knocked down a jumper from the wing as the shot clock expired
- The Eagles continued to hold its double-digit lead and cruised their second win in two days
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop shot 49 percent for the game, 39 percent from three (7-for-18)
- The Jaguars shot 40 percent, but the Eagles held them 3-for-17 behind the arc
- Both teams had 18 turnovers each as the Jaguars had 21 points off turnovers while Winthrop had 18
- IUPUI edged the Eagles on the glass 34-33 and had an 18-15 advantage in second chance points
- Kelton Talford paced four Eagles in double-figures with 17 points as he was joined by K.J. Doucet with 16, Sin'Cere McMahon chipped in with 12 and Nick Johnson added 11
- The Eagles were 23-for-34 at the foul line as Talford finished 9-for-10
NOTABLES
- Eagles have won back-to-back games for the first time this season and have won both games by double-digits
- Kasen Harrison finished with three steals for the second straight game and third time in the last four
- Doucet's 16 points moved him with 35 of 1,000 in his collegiate career while Talford is now within 41 points of 1,000
UP NEXT
Winthrop will wrap-up the Rock Hill Classic on Sunday, Nov. 19 with a 2:30 p.m. contest against Elon.
STAY CONNECTED
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